In 1988, Jim Henson was able to convince Post Cereals to let him create and design a cereal based on one of his Muppet characters. This was to be the first Muppet cereal to be released in the United States. So was born Cröonchy Stars. Starring the Swedish Chef, Jim Henson set out to make one of the most creative and entertaining cereal ad campaigns ever.

Jim Henson never liked cereal boxes, although he loved to eat cereal. He claimed the boxes were too boring, so his first idea was to create a cereal box that was a bit of fun. This was done with a colorful design, as well as games & puzzles on the box. This included one contest to see how many times you could find the word “rutabaga” hidden on the box and how many times it was spelled correctly. Of course, this was complicated by the statement on the box that read, “if we spell it right in the contest rules, then you’ll automatically KNOW how to spell it right.”

In the television advertising (available on YouTube), Jim Henson provided the voice of the Swedish Chef, who proclaims, “Bork bork bork ooooo the cinnamonamonamon!” This is after something whacks Chef on the head, which causes him to see stars. He beats at these stars with a large wooden spoon then grabs them out of the air and makes them into cereal.

Cröonchy Stars was described as “a cinnamonnamony new cereal with 10 essential vitamins and minerals, no artificial coloring, and no doorknobs.” Also mentioned on the box was the statement, “This product does not contain: (among other things) Venetian Blinds and Pachyderms.” It’s unfortunate then, that this cereal did not last long due to it’s slightly terrible taste. Cröonchy Stars tasted a bit like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but got soggy pretty damn quick. At that point, they seemed more chewy and rubbery than crunchy.

Based on the camp value and the colorful and entertaining design of the box, Cröonchy Stars would make a great addition to any collection. Tack on the fact that Henson originally wanted to call the cereal Stoopid Flakes, and you’ve got yourself a winner.